The Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI) has called out to all the relevant industry stakeholders, including those in tourism and construction sectors, to adhere to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s order to halt ongoing land reclamation projects.
EPA made the demand last Thursday, calling to stop all ongoing land reclamation initiatives until June 10, 2024. The agency said that this was to ensure no irrecoverable damages or harm were done to reefs during the now ongoing mass coral bleaching event.
MATI said on Sunday, that it supported EPA’s demand, and implored stakeholders to respect the call.
“We are confident that effective implementation of these measures will undoubtedly aid in lessening the effects of the current mass coral bleaching event,” MATI said.
Maldives is put on “Alert Level 1” by EPA, which reflects on the high-level of coral bleaching experienced across the country’s reefs.
The agency warned stakeholders to halt all developmental initiatives related to the reefs and coasts, including a stop on channel dredging, sand piling and draining, installation of cables and pumps on reefs, boundary wall construction, and other developmental elements that require machinery utilization for the work.
Additionally, EPA has said Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for these initiatives need to be halted for now as well.